Disturbing fact: In most countries, men have a legal "right to rape".

A powerful new campaign is demanding worldwide action to end the “right to rape”.

Trigger warning: This post deals with rape and domestic violence and may be triggering for survivors of abuse.

In 73 per cent of countries worldwide men are not explicitly outlawed from raping their wives.

That’s 142 countries out of 196 that believe rape cannot occur within a marriage — because they deem that within marriage, consent can be assumed.

That leaves 2.6 billion women at risk. Women who are vulnerable to violent marriages where their spouse forces them to engage in sex acts without their approval.

In the lead-up to International Women’s Day on 8th March, the International Women’s Development Agency  is asking the public to sign a petition demanding immediate action and” tell the world that no man has the right to rape.”

Read more: These Facebook messages were enough to convince the world he didn’t rape her. They shouldn’t have been.

The campaign covers marital rape, but it’s also shining a light on soldiers’ use of rape in conflict-affected areas of the world.

In an effort to illustrate this brutal reality, the campaign has shared three distressing stories of women and girls whose perpetrators — Burmese soldiers — clearly felt they had a ‘right to rape’.

At least one in three women will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, and 50 per cent of victims will be girls under the age of 16.

Nothing about those statistics is okay, because every woman has the right to feel safe.

Which means it’s time to end the right to rape — now.

If you want to take action and end the right to rape then, you can sign the petition here. If 15,000 signatures are received then this petition will be taken to the UN headquarters on International Women’s Day, demanding all governments take immediate action to end this right to rape.

If you believe you may be an abusive partner, you can receive help via Relationships Australia on 1300 364 277. If you have experienced, or are at risk of domestic violence or sexual assault, you can receive help by calling 1800 RESPECT – 1800 737 732. If you are in immediate danger please call the police on 000.